Devices for transferring various fluids through a membrane structure with small pores (e.g. mircopores or nanopores) by means of ion transfer—even against a concentration gradient—by means of an applied electrical field are used currently in conventional technical processes such as: reverse osmose, electrofiltration, ion detection, separation, accumulation, drinking water treatment, desalination, deionization, diminishing the concentration, electrolysis, electrodialysis, in a fuel cell, in a membrane reactor, and the like.
A conventional device for transferring a fluid by means of an ion transfer induced by an applied electric field, which is applied by means of electrodes arranged outside a membrane, typically uses an arrangement which is capable to transfer ions through the membrane, wherein such a membrane is disposed within the electric field to receive from one side of the membrane a fluid flow in one direction depending on the applied electric field direction. The ions can then be transferred through one or more pores of the membrane depending on the electric field strength, wherein one or more chemical or physical processes may be initiated during the passage depending on the kind of membrane used. The sequence of such a process is usually mainly controlled by the permeability of the membrane, the field strength, and the fluid properties.